Courtiers : The Secret History of the Georgian Court
Author(s): Lucy Worsley
In the eighteenth century, the palace's most elegant assembly room was in fact a bloody battlefield. This was a world of skulduggery, politicking, wigs and beauty-spots, where fans whistled open like flick-knives.
Ambitious and talented people flocked to court in search of power and prestige, but Kensington Palace was also a gilded cage. While its inhabitants were cocooned in comfort and splendour, successful courtiers had level heads and cold hearts; their secrets were never safe. Among them, a Vice Chamberlain with many vices, a Maid of Honour with a secret marriage, a pushy painter, an alcoholic equerry, a Wild Boy, a penniless poet, a dwarf comedian, two mysterious turbaned Turks and any number of discarded royal mistresses.
An eye-opening portrait of an enthralling group of royal servants, Courtiers also throws new light on the dramatic life of George II and Queen Caroline: a lover murdered, babies snatched, horrific illnesses and tearful deathbed reconciliations.
Product Information
In spite of its accessible charm, Courtiers is a serious historical study which chisels much richness from the ornate, dingy, contradictory world of the palace. Times Literary Supplement
General Fields
- :
- : Faber & Faber, Limited
- : Faber & Faber, Limited
- : 0.351
- : 31 May 2011
- : 198mm X 126mm X 28mm
- : 01 August 2011
- : books
Special Fields
- : 432
- : 1
- : Paperback
- : Lucy Worsley